Cafe Lani has been open at Ala Moana Center for almost a year, and only now did I get a chance to see what all the hype was about. I never visited Cafe Lani prior to today, because the stories of long lines to get a table and slow service did not sit well with me. But when Nadia (click here to see her review from Feb 2016) won a gift certificate to Cafe Lani and invited the mommy lunch bunch to lunch at Cafe Lani on her, I did not hesitate to say "yes!"
I arrived at the restaurant at 11 am and had no problems getting a table. My timing was perfect, as the tables quickly filled up soon after I arrived.
The restaurant is clean, nicely decorated and sports an open kitchen, allowing patrons to smell the aroma of bread baking in the oven. Yum!
The breads are definitely the star of the show here. My favorites from the ones that were delivered to our table were the croissants and the chocolate croissants.
Personally, I think "all-you-can-eat" is a misnomer because you're limited to what's in the bread box when your server comes to your table, and you are only given one of each type of bread per delivery. And our server only came to our table with bread twice during our meal.
For my entree, I ordered the House Made Hamburger Steak with Gorgonzola Sauce. What I was served looked different than what is pictured on the website.
The sauce was much too thick and rich for my taste. I should have stuck to my guns and ordered it with gravy instead.
Since Nadia had about $20 left to spend on her gift certificate, she bought us each a bag of breads to-go.
Service was good and while I didn't care for the entree I ordered, I really liked the breads and the atmosphere. I'll probably return again in the future to try one of their pasta dishes.
Cafe Lani
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Mall Level 2, Ewa Wing (next to Longs)
(808) 955-5599
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